Pp&l Erects 'No Swimming' Sign

May 19, 1985|Sunday Call-Chronicle

With the summer swimming season about to get under way, the Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. has reminded area residents that swimming at its recreation areas along Lake Wallenpaupack will no longer be permitted.

But while "no swimming" signs posted recently at PP&L's Ledgedale, Ironwood Point, Caffrey, Five Mile Point and Wilsonville recreation areas have closed the beaches to swimmers, outdoors enthusiasts will still be able to launch boats, camp, fish or picnic at those areas.

The swimming ban does not involve other areas of the lake, which is owned by PP&L. Homeowners, members of beach clubs, guests at resorts or persons who use public beaches maintained by municipalities that ring Wallenpaupack may still use the lake for swimming.

The ban was announced last year after the state Department of Environmental Resources told PP&L to either establish swimming beaches that meet its regulations or close them. To comply with the regulations, PP&L would have had to provide lifeguards and regularly test the water for purity.

"There's a whole series of regulations that you must adhere to," said a PP&L spokesman. "It got very involved. We decided it would be in our best interest to post 'no swimming' signs."

The ban on swimming also includes recreational areas maintained by PP&L in Luzerne, Montour, Lancaster and York counties. Lake Wallenpaupack straddles the border between Wayne and Pike counties.

"People should know that PP&L's ban on swimming applies only to public recreation areas operated by PP&L, not to commercial or privately-owned areas," said Grayson E. McNair, PP&L's vice president for marketing and customer services, at the time the ban was announced last October.